Title: To achieve net-zero, we must confront three systemic failures
Date and Time: June 13th, 2025 at 11am
Location: CHBE 202
Speaker: Dr. Chris Greig, Senior Research Scientist at the Andlinger Center for Energy and
the Environment, at Princeton University
Abstract: In recent years, most nations and numerous major corporations have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. However, many of these commitments lack detailed and actionable implementation plans, often leaning heavily on sectoral, national, and global deep decarbonization pathways produced by integrated assessment and other large-scale models. These models, while influential among policymakers, investors, and NGOs, fail to capture three critical systemic challenges that constrain the speed of the energy transition. This talk will address these failures and argue for a radical rethink in how low-emissions infrastructure is delivered.
Biography: Chris Greig is the Theodora D. ’78 and William H. Walton III ’74 Senior Research Scientist at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, at Princeton University. He has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland; is an Honorary Professor at The University of Queensland (UQ) and University of Melbourne; a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering; and a member of the Sustainability Advisory Council for Dow Chemical Company. His research is interdisciplinary and deeply collaborative with industry, and focuses on overcoming the challenges to decarbonization infrastructure. He co-led Princeton’s influential Net-Zero America study and is leading Princeton’s participation in collaborations on similar studies in Asia-Pacific countries. Prior to academia, Chris spent 3 decades in the private sector, first as a successful company founder, and senior executive in the energy and resources sector.